Catnip
by TheVulcanPrincess
Summary: Ten years after the war, Gale comes for a visit.
1. Chapter 1

Takes place after the end of Mockingjay. Spoliers for the whole trilogy.

Disclaimer: The usual.

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I tuck the children in bed and then walk downstairs to sit by the fireplace. Buttercup curls up on my lap and begins to purr. I can't believe that cat is still around. It must be true about cats having nine lives. After Prim's death, we came to a sort of agreement, and I have to admit, I've actually become fond of the hissing beast.

I hear a knock on the door and wonder who would be visiting at this hour. Haymitch is probably passed out drunk, and nobody else comes by. Fearing the worst, I tiptoe toward the door and open it.

"Hi, Catnip."

Unsure of whether to be upset or elated, I pause for a moment. Then I throw my arms around my visitor and exclaim, "Gale!"

It has been ten years since I've seen him. Ten years since we defeated the Capitol and I was banished to District 12 for the crime of assassinating President Coin. Ten years since I was the Mockingjay.

I invite him in and make him a cup of mint tea. We sit at the kitchen table and my mind flashes back to the last time he was in this house – after he received the whipping from the Peacekeepers.

"What brings you to District 12?" I ask.

"I got homesick."

There is a long pause while we both try to figure out what to say next. Gale breaks the silence. "I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. I heard about what happened to Peeta. I should have been there for you."

This causes me to flash back to the painful memory. About a year ago, Peeta went insane again. It was the last attack of President Snow. Even after his death, he still found a way to torment me. We thought we had cured Peeta from the trackerjacker attack, but we only found a way to make it go dormant. Then it resurfaced. At first, it only warped his sense of reality. Then the murderous programming reemerged.

The first time he attacked me, I fought him off and gave him some sleep syrup. When he awoke, he was horrified at what he had done. He wanted to run away, but I convinced him to stay. The second time, Haymitch had to pull him off of me. Peeta ran into the woods. When I found him that evening, his hands and lips were covered with the juice of nightlock berries.

I bring myself back to the present, squeeze Gale's hand, and say, "I never should have pushed you away."

We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes before I say, "It's late. I have a guest room upstairs. Would you like to stay here tonight?"

Gale smiles. "Yes. Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

In the morning, I get up, head downstairs, and begin preparing breakfast. Gale joins me and says, "What can I do to help?"

I hand him a pile of vegetables and a knife, and he starts chopping. "How did you sleep?" I ask.

"Better than I have in a long time."

"What's it like in District 2?"

Gale pauses to collect his thoughts. "Different. It was really hard for the first few years. The people there were used to having everything they wanted whenever they wanted it. They didn't know how to go without. Right after the war, morale was low. A lot of people thought that life had been better under Capitol rule. They finally came around."

"Do you have anyone special waiting for you back home?" I ask.

"No."

For some reason, I'm relieved at that. I have no right to expect him to live like a monk, but I'm glad nonetheless.

Gale interrupts my reverie by continuing, "I was revered as a hero of the rebellion. I could have any woman I wanted. And I did. A new one each week. I thought they would make me happy. But they didn't."

I don't know what possessed me to ask the next question, but before I have a chance to think better of it, I ask, "Why not?"

"Because they weren't you."

I blush, and before I have a chance to respond, the children bound down the stairs. Saved by the bell.

"Children, we have a special guest today," I say. "This is Gale."

The little boy says, "You can't be Gale. I'm Gale!"

Gale smiles and says, "I'm willing to share a name if you are."

The younger Gale thinks for a moment and then nods.

The little girl walks over, extends her hand, and says, "I'm Rue. Pleased to meet you."

Gale shakes Rue's hand and says, "It's nice to meet you, too."

We eat breakfast and wash the dishes. Then I say to the children, "Go upstairs and put on your nice clothes so we can go to the town square."

Today is Remembrance Day. Back in the days of Capitol rule, it would have been the day of the Reaping.

We walk to the town square. I smile as I see that Rue and little Gale have each taken one of Gale's hands. When we arrive, I see Haymitch up on the stage, standing next to Effie Trinket. Effie motions for me to join them. I turn to Gale, and he nods that he will look after the children.

I climb the stairs and stand on the platform. When I look out over the crowd, I smile to see Gale with my children. It looks right. I look at Haymitch and see that he is still drunk. I hope he can get through this without making a scene.

Effie begins her speech. "Good morning, good morning!" She sounds entirely too cheerful as she continues, "Welcome to the Remembrance Day memorial service. For 75 years, the Capitol plucked 24 children from our communities and forced them into an arena for a fight to the death. Each year, only one remained. Today is the day we remember those who lost their lives in the senseless violence that was the Hunger Games."

As the only two surviving victors in District 12, Haymitch and I are given the task of reading the names. An ancient song called _Amazing Grace_ begins to play in the background. I pick up the paper and start to read, "From District 1..."

I practically have this list memorized now, so I'm on autopilot. I conclude District 1, and Haymitch takes the microphone, "From District 2..."

We alternate districts. As I'm nearing the end of District 11, I read Rue's name. I can't help but look out into the crowd to see my Rue. She's old enough now to understand where her name came from. I give silent thanks that my children will never have to go into that cursed arena.

Haymitch takes his turn, "Finally, from District 12..."

As he finishes, I silently add the name Peeta Mellark. He didn't die in the arena, but he was a victim of the games just as surely as all of the others.

The music stops. Effie takes the microphone back and says, "May we always remember, so that we never repeat this atrocity."

There is a moment of silence, and then a cannon fires. In ancient times, it was a great honor for the dead to be memorialized by 21 shots. But we fire the cannon 23 times to represent the number of tributes who died in each Hunger Games.


	3. Chapter 3

At the end of the ceremony, I find Gale and the children. We walk back to Victor's Village and enter my house. An hour later, I hear a knock on the door. I answer it and see Haymitch standing there. He's sober.

I invite him in, and he says, "I'm running a little low on fresh meat. How about if I watch the children for a few hours?"

Haymitch looked over in the direction of Gale, and I realize what he is really offering. I thank him and then say, "Rue, Gale, Uncle Haymitch is going to play with you for the afternoon. Be good."

I grab two bows and two quivers of arrows from the closet. I don't have to hide them anymore now that hunting is legal. I turn to Gale and say, "For old time's sake?"

We head into the woods. I break the silence by saying, "I'm really glad you came back. I missed you."

I look at our surroundings and realize we're standing in the same place as our first kiss. Impulsively, I reach up to kiss Gale. He hesitates, and I fear I overstepped some boundary. Then he kisses back.

We walk to our cabin. I kept it tidy all these years, clearing away the creeping underbrush. We sit down, and I say, "How long are you going to be in District 12?"

"That depends. I've been offered a job here as manager of the pharmaceutical plant, but I haven't decided whether or not to accept it."

He looks into my eyes, searching for an answer. I hesitate. I remember twelve years ago, on the day of the 74th reaping, Gale and I sat in the woods and he asked me to run away with him. Today I bring it full circle. I pick up his hand and say, "Please stay."

He picks a vine and twists it into a circle. He slips it on my finger and says, "Marry me, Catnip?"

I smile and say, "Yes!"

We met in the forest. We became friends in the forest, defied the Capitol in the forest, and had our first kiss in the forest. So it is only fitting that the first time we make love is also in the forest.

We walk back to town, hand in hand. We stop by a building with a sign that reads "Mellark's Bakery". I open the door and walk in. Mr. Mellark smiles broadly and says, "Katniss! So good to see you!"

"And you!" I reply. Peeta's death hit him hard, so I try to visit regularly. I often bring the children so that they will know their grandfather.

"Could I please get a loaf of your fanciest bread? There's going to be a Toasting."

Mr. Mellark looked at the vine-ring on my finger and saw that Gale and I were holding hands. He smiled and said, "Congratulations. I remember back when I bought your squirrels, I always thought the two of you belonged together."

His blessing means a lot to me. "Will you stand by my side at the Toasting?" I ask. It is traditional for the parents of the bride and groom to stand next to them and impart words of wisdom as they begin their new life. I thought about asking Haymitch, since he stood by me when I married Peeta. But it feels right to have Peeta's father stand by me now.

"I would be honored."

Gale and I return home to tell Haymitch and the children.


	4. Epilogue

-Epilogue-

I feel a sharp pain, then another one. "Gale, it's time!"

"Time for what? Oh, you mean _time_!" He scrambles to gather the necessary items.

My mother took a vacation from her job at the hospital in District 4 so that she could be with me. She guides me to the bed, and I lie down. Gale puts a moist cloth on my forehead and holds my hand.

I push, then I push again. Then I keep pushing. Finally I hear a cry. "It's a girl!" Gale exclaims.

I smile, then I feel the urge to keep pushing. I'm confused. It wasn't like this with the other births. Once the baby came, I was done. I keep pushing, and a few minutes later I hear another cry. Twins!

"It's a boy!" Gale says with excitement.

I remember all of the death Gale and I were responsible for during the war. Then I look down at the new lives we've created. Because of the war, they will grow up free, never to be threatened by the Capitol, never to be reaped.

"What are you going to name them," my mother asks.

"The girl is going to be named Primrose," I say. At the sound of the name Primrose, Buttercup perks up. He saunters over and begins to lick the newborn's hair. Prim scrunches her face and sighs.

Gale and I had already talked about it. We decided on a girl name because I was so sure I was having a girl.

We hadn't decided on a boy name, though. Gale breaks the silence and says, "Let's call the boy Peeta."

-The End-


End file.
